Galway Pro-Choice to hold 'Rally for Repeal' in Galway city

Speeches, marches, and music events to demand repeal of the Eighth Amendment

BY KERNAN ANDREWS Galway Advertiser, Tue, Jun 13, 2017

A rally to demand the right of Irish women to have full reproductive freedom and autonomy over their own bodies will take place this weekend as part of a series of Repeal events across the State.

Galway Pro-Choice will hold the Rally for Repeal this Saturday [June 17] and members of the public are invited to assemble at the fountain in Eyre Square at 2pm. There will be speeches followed by a march through the town. The purpose of the march is to call on the Government to implement the findings of the Citizens’ Assembly on abortion.

In April, the Citizens’ Assembly recommended abortion be permitted in all 13 circumstances considered by the assembly. A majority of the 92 members voted to allow for abortion. The lowest level of support was for the proposal to have no restrictions on the reasons for allowing abortion yet this still attracted approval from almost two-thirds (64 per cent ) of a valid poll of 87 members of the assembly.

At the request of the members of the assembly, a category of abortion in the case of socio-economic circumstances was included. Abortion was supported by 72 per cent of members of the assembly in that case. The outcome was far more liberal than many observers expected.

"We are urging people to come out and make their voices heard”, said Suzi Coombs of GPC. “This issue has been delayed time and time again and the people of Ireland cannot wait any longer, the Eighth Amendment poses a risk to people's health and wellbeing and has an impact on us all. Rally with us during the day and celebrate with some great music in the evening, we will not be ignored any longer.”

After the solidarity rally, Galway Pro-Choice is hosting the Choice Tunes fundraising event in the Róisín Dubh, the first event of the Abortion Rights Campaign’s Abortion Rights Roadshow. There will be music from well-known Galway singer-songwriters Stephen Sharpe and Tracy Bruen, the bands Electric Dreams and Dott, and DJ sets from Lolz and Mitch. The photo project Unity of Choice by photographer Leandro Hernandez Jimenez will also be presented on the night.

Doors are open at 8.30pm and tickets are priced at €7/5.Half of all proceeds will go to the charity Domestic Violence Response, a community led organisation responding to the issue of domestic violence in Galway county.

“It is really important after the Citizen’s Assembly that we keep the pressure on the Oireachtas Committee not to water down the findings of the report," said GPC's Dette McLoughlin. "We have a real concern that four of the Galway West TDs may put their own personal views before the recommendations of the Citizen’s Assembly. There is an overwhelming demand for a referendum on this issue to allow progressive change which must be respected."